Bees easily diverted from hummingbird feeders

Numerous gardeners are reporting massive swarms of honeybees attracted to their hummingbird feeders. The bees are so thick and aggressive that they are driving the poor hummers away.

A shortage of nectar-producing flowers due to this summer's drought is causing the bees to scramble to find any type of high-carb substitute, such as the syrup in hummingbird feeders. Not only is this a problem for the hummers, but it can also pose a hazard to people as well.

One solution to the problem is to outwit the honeybees. Try moving the feeder to the other side of the house.

Bees are not very smart and are programmed to go to the same spot where the nectar was last seen.

If the food disappears, they will assume the food source is gone and may never find it in its new location. The hummers will barely notice that it was moved (they circle my house repeatedly if the feeder runs dry).

If that doesn't work, take the feeder down for a day or until you stop seeing bees looking for it. You'll see hummers looking for it, too, but they won't give up nearly as soon as the insects.

Some hummingbird feeders are advertised as being "bee-proof." These are feeders that have either bee guards over the opening or are designed to place the syrup out of their reach. Hummingbirds have long tongues and can easily reach syrup that is far out of reach of the bees.

If the bees can't get to it, they'll eventually lose interest and move somewhere else where they can definitely get a meal. I've seen these types of feeders at some of our smaller local pet centers, especially those that cater to wild birds.

Bees are attracted to the color yellow. Since many hummingbird feeders have yellow plastic "flowers" or other parts, try removing such parts or painting them red before hanging your feeder in the spring. Make sure that the feeder doesn't leak.

Also be sure to rinse the feeder off thoroughly after filling it, to wash away any spilled sugar.

If all else fails, set up an extra feeder in an open, sunny area, preferably away from where you are hoping to attract the hummingbirds. If there is a hive in a nearby woods, they may stop at the closer feeder and not go all the way up to the house.

Do not apply any type of insecticide around the feeders. We have a serious shortage of honeybees, and we don't want to kill any, even if they are annoying. The insecticides may also harm the hummingbirds.

As a reminder: Do not put honey, red food coloring or artificial sweetener into hummingbird feeders. Do not worry about leaving your hummingbird feeder up too long; the birds are smart enough to know when to migrate, and they will not be tricked into staying around because you have a feeder up.

For more information on coexisting with bees, contact the Purdue Extension Service at (812) 435-5287.

Larry Caplan is an extension educator-horticulture with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, Vanderburgh County/Southwestern Indiana. You can send e-mail to him at LCaplan@purdue.edu.